1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit board, and a magnetic head incorporating the circuit board. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit board capable of protecting an MR magnetic head device, which incorporates the circuit board, against electrostatic breakdown.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a conventional magnetic head 201 for use in a computer hard disk is shown in FIG. 17. The magnetic head 201 generally comprises a slider 203, a load beam 202, and a circuit board 204. The slider 203 is attached to a fore end 202a of the load beam 202 through a flexure, and a base plate 209 is attached to an opposite end 202b of the load beam 202. The circuit board 204 is attached to the base plate 209.
The slider 203 includes an MR magnetic head device 208 for reproducing magnetically recorded data, and an inductive head device (not shown) for recording data to be magnetically recorded. From each of these head devices, two lead lines are extended to transmit and receive a reproduced signal and a recording signal to and from the outside of the magnetic head. These four lead lines 205a, 205b, 206a, 206b are connected to the circuit board 204 at the side of the base plate 209 where it is attached to the opposite end 202b of the load beam 202.
The circuit board 204 is formed of a flexible printed board, and includes four leads 215a, 215b, 216a, 216b connected respectively to the lead lines extended from the head devices (i.e., 205a, 205b, 206a, 206b). Mounting terminals 215c, 215d, 216c, 216d are provided respectively midway on the leads 215a, 215b, 216a, 216b. Inspection terminals 215e, 215f, 216e, 216f are provided respectively at ends of the leads 215a, 215b, 216a, 216b. 
The leads 215a, 215b, that are connected to the lead lines 205a, 205b of the MR magnetic head device 208, include lands 223, 224 provided between the mounting terminals 215c, 215d and the inspection terminals 215e, 215f, respectively.
In a conventional magnetic head of this type, the circuit including the MR magnetic head device 208 is typically constructed as a closed circuit by attaching a shunt clip or forming a bonding wire between the lands 223, 224 so as to short the lands 223, 224 together. This is done to prevent electrostatic breakdown of the MR magnetic head device 208 during a period from manufacture of the magnetic head to assembly thereof into a hard disk drive.
This may result in a number of problems. For example, when the lands 223, 224 are shorted together by using a clip, there is a risk that the clip may slip off as result of vibration during transport of the magnetic head. As a result, the MR magnetic head device 208 may suffer electrostatic breakdown.
Also, shorting the lands 223, 224 together by wire bonding requires that a wire-bonding step be included in the manufacturing process of the magnetic head, thereby resulting in an increased production cost of the magnetic head.
In view of the state of the art set forth above, an object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic head capable of positively preventing electrostatic breakdown of an MR magnetic head device, and a method of manufacturing the magnetic head, that overcomes the above-identified problems.